Deal With The Devil
by DetectiveKateBeckettCastle
Summary: WATERSHED FIC Based on a TVLINE theory. Kate accepts the job and the proposal and gets ready to make a new life in DC with Castle but everything changes when she finds out who exactly had a hand in her getting the job. When she refuses it and promises to catch him, the enemy threatens Castle's life if she doesn't back down. Will Kate get her happily ever or lose it all?
1. Chapter 1

Deal With the Devil

By: S.K. Knight

**Disclaimer: Don't own Castle or its characters or the "we're just getting started" line. All rights to rightful owners.**

**A/N: This story was inspired by a theory I read on TVLINE and I just had to write it, so that's that. I dedicate this fic to my friend Zanna who came up with the title. This was just a little post-Watershed fic to get us out of that hiatus funk. I hope you like it! PS Sorry, I haven't been active, it's summer so I'll write.**

Kate felt lightheaded and her heart began to beat faster. She stared at the man bending down on one knee in front of her, holding a sparkling diamond engagement ring in his hand. Was Rick really asking to _marry_ her? She wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but no words would come out.

They stayed like that, staring at each other, for what seemed like an eternity.  
Finally, she spoke one word. _Yes. _  
Castle's face changed instantly from uncertainty to complete happiness. He finally had the one thing he wanted most in the world: Kate. She was unconditionally, irrevocably his.  
"That's amazing, Kate. I love you, I love you so much." he replied honestly, taking her left hand and carefully slipping the ring on her finger.  
They both stood, and Castle pulled her into his arms, parting her lips with his. His fingers went through her hair and she pulled him closer to her. After a few minutes, they reluctantly pulled apart and Kate nervously bit her lip.  
"What's wrong, Kate?" Castle asked, looking worried as he brushed her hair back gently.  
"I took the job, Castle." Her words hung in the air between them and Castle's face went from concern to confusion.  
"Why, Kate? Why did you accept if you knew you were going to leave? What about us? Does what we have mean _nothing _to you? How could you?"  
Kate looked at him, trying to figure out how to explain. "Castle, I want you to come with me to DC."  
Castle looked shocked. "And leave Alexis? She goes to Columbia to be close to me."  
"Castle, please, I want this job and I want you. I want a life with you, and a family. Just think about it. Alexis is in college, and she can always visit us."  
Castle considered this then took a breath, "What about Nikki Heat?"  
Her eyes pleaded with him. "You can still write Nikki Heat, you've followed me around long enough, you have enough research."  
"What about the boys?"  
"Ryan and Espo will understand this is a huge opportunity for me. We're a family and we all want what's best for each other."  
Castle looked at her seriously. "That's the point, Kate, they're family. You don't break up family. No job is worth that."  
She crossed her arms, studying him. "So you don't want to come with me?"  
The question hung in the air, but this time it was colder.  
Castle thought for a long moment and sighed. "Ok, but what are we gonna do about Alexis and my mother?"  
"We'll tell them as gently as we can, Castle, I promise." Beckett told him.  
"Ok, that's fine. I'm just afraid of what they'll say." Castle said.  
"Trust me, Castle, they'll be fine. They'll be happy for us. I mean, we're starting a life together." Beckett assured him.  
Castle smiled. "I still can't believe you said yes."  
"Why wouldn't I? Like I said, I want this job and I want a life with you. I'll call and tell the FBI we need a week or so to move."  
"My mother can stay in the loft. I'll send her money."  
"Speaking of your mother, we should go tell them."  
"I'll call them now and tell them to meet us at the loft for dinner. Mother has an acting class at her studio and Alexis has a college class. "  
Beckett nodded. "That's fine."

* * *

A few hours later, Martha, Alexis and Beckett sat around Castle's dinner table while he cooked.  
"So, are you ever going to tell us the reason for this little dinner?" Martha inquired.  
Rick smiled a little at Kate and she smiled back. "All in good time, Mother. I promise."  
"Seriously, Dad, what's the surprise?" Alexis asked, as Martha rose to help him put out the fettuccine alfredo.  
Once everyone was seated, Rick smiled at Kate, who was sitting next to him. "We are…getting married."  
Martha grinned. "Oh, Richard, that's wonderful!"  
"Dad, that's great!" Alexis exclaimed with a smile.  
"Now, Katherine, let's see the ring." Martha said, and leaned over a little more when Kate put her left hand on the table.  
"Tell us the story, Kate. How did he do it? How did he propose?" Alexis questioned eagerly.  
"Oh, yes, tell us everything!" Martha insisted.  
Kate bit her lip and threw a nervous glance at Castle, who gave her a small smile. "Actually, there's something…else, too."  
Martha and Alexis suddenly looked confused.  
"Katherine, darling, are you pregnant?" Martha asked softly.  
Kate blushed. "Oh no, not yet. Actually, I took the job."  
Alexis' fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "Then why did you accept…?"  
Castle squeezed Kate's hand gently under the table. "Because I'm going with her. We're moving to DC next week."  
Alexis' fork clattered onto her plate. "Dad…you can't. I picked Columbia to be close to you, you can't leave."  
"Alexis, they're adults and you're in college. This is a great opportunity for Kate; remember when your father told us about it?" Martha asked gently, covering Alexis' hand with her own.  
"I thought he was gonna convince her to stay…" Alexis said, sighing.  
"I was trying at first, but then she made me realize that I can't ask her to give up something like that. She asked me to come with her and I accepted, it's not like you can't come visit us or we can come to you and Gram will still live in the loft. I'll send money to her too." Castle explained calmly.  
"It's not like you'll never see us, Alexis, you'll come to the wedding in DC." Kate added.  
"I know but…" Alexis started, trailing off.  
"I'll still be here, darling." Martha offered comfortingly.  
"I'll just have to get used to it I guess. But congratulations, you guys. Congratulations, Kate." Alexis said with a smile.  
"Thanks." Kate said, finishing her dinner.  
Martha smiled. "Congratulations, you two, we knew it was bound to happen someday."  
"Thank you, Alexis. Thank you, mother." Castle answered, smiling.  
"I think I'm gonna head up to bed, Cas, we got an early day tomorrow." Kate said, getting up.  
"Goodnight, darling." Martha said, as Castle cleaned up.  
Castle finished a few minutes later. "I'll meet you in a minute, Kate."  
Kate nodded. "Ok."  
"Goodnight, Kate. Goodnight, Dad. I have classes in the morning." Alexis told them, making her way up to her room.  
Soon, all of them were sound asleep.

* * *

Kate sat down in her desk chair at the 12th and logged onto her computer, just as Castle strode in, carrying the customary two cups of coffee.  
"Slow day?" he asked, taking a seat next to her desk and setting her coffee on it.  
"Yeah, I was looking at houses in DC." She replied.  
"Did you find anything?" Castle asked.  
"Well, there's this one." Kate said, pulling up a picture of a modest white house with a white picket fence around the property.  
"That one's nice but don't you want something a little bigger? I mean, what happens when we start a family?" Castle questioned.  
"I told you, Castle, I'm a simple girl." she explained.  
"I know, but it wouldn't be too big, Kate." Castle assured her.  
She looked at him. "I'll think about it, ok?"  
Castle nodded. "Ok."  
Just then, Esposito and Ryan appeared, both clutching coffee cups. Beckett tried to hide her ring, but it was too late.  
Esposito smirked, sat down in his chair, and rolled over to her desk. "So, he popped the question, huh?"  
Beckett lowered her voice and glanced to make sure Gates wasn't around. "So what if he did?" she replied nonchalantly.  
Ryan rolled over in his chair as well. "So, you accepted his proposal. What about the job? I thought you wanted it. How's that gonna work out?"  
"Actually…I accepted it." Beckett admitted.  
Esposito and Ryan looked shocked. "Wait so you're leaving?"  
Beckett nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry, guys."  
"We're getting a house in DC together," Castle supplied, "we're moving next week."  
Ryan studied Beckett's face. "Don't be sorry, Beckett. This is an amazing opportunity. We've known you forever and we're a family but we want what's best for you. We always have."  
Esposito nodded in agreement. "You're like a sister to us, Beckett."  
"And we promise we'll be at the wedding." Ryan said with a smile, lowering his voice.  
"Thanks, guys. I'll miss you." Beckett said with a smile.  
"And I'll miss you guys too." Castle agreed.  
"I don't know if we'll miss you, bro. It'll actually be quiet around here." Esposito told him, smirking.  
"Funny, but you forget if I'm gone who's going to solve your cases?" Castle asked, smirking back.  
Esposito scoffed. "We've been solving cases for years without your help, bro. We're trained detectives."  
"Yeah, we are." Ryan agreed.  
"You keep telling yourselves that, gentlemen, but face it, you need me." Castle said.  
"Pfft, right." Ryan replied.  
"We're just kiddin', we'll miss ya, bro." Esposito assured him.  
Just then, Beckett's cell phone rang and all the boys looked over.  
"Yes, this is Kate. Sure, why not? I'll meet you there. Bye." Kate said into the phone.  
"Who was it?" Castle asked.  
Kate started to grab her stuff and looked at him. "That was Agent Stack's secretary, Stephanie Richardson. She wanted to go out to lunch and get to know me because Stack and I are gonna be in the same department."  
Castle smiled. "Ok, have fun."  
"Don't worry, Beckett we'll keep Castle outta trouble." Ryan said, smirking.  
"I'm sure you will, Ryan." Kate responded as she headed toward the elevator.

* * *

Soon after, Kate entered Remy's and looked around for Stephanie until she saw a woman wave her over to a booth.  
"Hello, you must be Detective Beckett. I'm Stephanie, we spoke on the phone?" she asked after Kate sat down.  
Kate smiled, shaking her hand. "Yeah, hi, it's nice to meet you. Please, call me Kate."  
Stephanie spotted her engagement ring and smiled. "You're engaged?"  
Kate smiled back proudly. "Yeah, just today, actually. My boyfriend proposed. He'll be moving to DC with me in a week."  
"He must really love you." Stephanie commented.  
Kate nodded. "He does. I love him too."  
The waitress came and took their orders and left to fulfill them.  
"You know, it's great that you got to work with Jason here in New York. He gave you a great recommendation and I'm glad you accepted the job. From what he tells me, you're really cut out for it. You deserve it. I think you'll work well in this field." Stephanie commented.  
"Thank you. Agent Stack is a good agent and I think this will be my chance to do something more with my life, ya know."  
Soon, they received their orders and began to eat.  
"But you know if it weren't for that Senator who told Jason to recommend you for that job after you saved his life, they might not have even known about you."  
Kate's burger stopped halfway to her mouth as she realized who she meant. "Which senator, Stephanie?" Kate asked, wanting to be sure.  
"I think Jason said it was Senator Bracken." she said simply.  
Kate looked shocked. "Excuse me; I have to get back to work. Thank you for lunch."  
Kate paid and rushed out of Remy's, eager to get back to the 12th.

* * *

Kate rushed back into the bullpen looking concerned. The boys were in the middle of a paper basketball competition.  
Castle noticed Kate's expression and looked concerned. "Kate, slow down. What's wrong?"  
"We're not moving, Castle. I'm not taking the job. I can't."  
At this, the boys looked over. Their faces were a mixture of both confusion and concern.  
"What? Why? Kate, I thought you wanted this." Castle questioned.  
"I did, until I found out Bracken was the reason I got it." Kate replied grimly.  
"That dirtbag's screwing with you again? I'll kill him for this." Esposito growled.  
"No, Espo, leave him alone. I'll find a way to throw his ass in jail, I promise. He wants me to be his pawn, be under his thumb, where he can watch me. I won't do it. I won't let him own me." Kate said firmly.  
"You're doing the right thing, Beckett. We don't want you walking into a trap, no matter how good the opportunity is. And we're ready to protect you if he messes with you or Castle." Ryan agreed.  
"I second that." Esposito concurred.  
"I guess I should go tell my mother and Alexis we're staying. And thanks for the support you guys." Castle told them, starting to get up.

Beckett dialed the number on the card the interviewer had given her and soon, he picked up.  
"Hello?" he said.  
"This is Detective Beckett, you interviewed me for that job opening."  
"Yes, of course. We'll be seeing you next week, correct?" the agent asked.  
"Actually, no, I'm sorry but something came up and I have to respectfully decline." Kate said evenly.  
"You're missing out on a huge opportunity, Detective." he warned her.  
"With all due respect, sir, I think I'm fine right where I am, this precinct is my family." Kate replied honestly.  
The agent sighed. "Well, if that's your decision, so be it. Nice meeting you, Detective Beckett. The 12th Precinct is lucky to have you, you are a fine detective."  
"Thank you, sir." Kate said, hanging up.  
A few minutes later, Kate's cell phone rang again. The boys and Castle paid close attention.  
"Hello?" Kate answered cautiously.  
"I gave you an amazing opportunity, Detective Beckett, why would you throw it away? These offers only come around maybe once in a lifetime."  
"I'm sorry I disappointed you, Senator, but I don't wanna be your pawn."  
"But you see Detective, I have eyes everywhere, I don't need a job to keep you under my control. I know you're close to that writer. What's his name? Castle. You move on me, he ends up like your mom. I'll be watching." Bracken threatened.  
"If you touch him…" Kate began.  
Bracken chuckled mockingly. "You'll what? You can pin your mother's murder on me and you wouldn't be able to pin Castle's on me either. You know that. You'd have no proof."  
"One of these days, Senator, I will find proof that you had my mom killed and when I do, you're going to jail for good." Kate told him icily.  
"Even if you find proof, the odds of which are next to nothing, ask yourself this: Is my going to jail worth Castle's life?" he asked calmly.  
Before Kate could reply, the line went dead.  
"It was him, wasn't it? That son of a bitch…" Esposito said angrily.  
"What did he say?" Castle asked, as Kate sat down in her chair and sighed.  
Kate didn't answer.  
"Kate," Castle said sternly, "what did he say?"  
She sighed. "He said he'd kill you if I didn't back off…"  
"You can't back down because of me, Kate." he said.  
"I have to, Castle, I have no choice, and we're getting married. I _hate_ the fact that he gets to walk free right now, but maybe it's time I take a break and figure out another way to get to him. I've been chasing him for years." Kate replied, sighing.  
"If that's what you want, I love you and I can't wait to marry you." Castle said, smiling.  
"I love you too, Castle, I guess we should go tell Gates, huh?" Kate asked.  
"Yeah, she'll find out sooner or later and whatever happens, I'll still see you, even if she doesn't let me shadow you." Castle promised.  
Kate knocked on the Captain's door, Castle by her side.  
"Come in." came Gates' voice.  
Both Kate and Castle stepped inside nervously.  
"Sir," Kate began, "we have something to tell you."  
"And we're fully prepared to accept whatever consequences our decision may have on our partnership." Castle added.  
"We're getting married, sir." Kate admitted.  
"I'm very observant, Detective; I saw the ring a few hours ago. While it's normal for married cops to be split up, Mr. Castle is a writer, and therefore this rule does not apply. But I stand by what I said when your relationship started, no inappropriate workplace behavior. Are we clear?" Gates asked.  
"Thank you. We understand sir, and we'd love to have you at the wedding." Kate offered.  
"I'd be honored to, Detective." Gates responded.

* * *

A few months later, Kate looked in the mirror and could scarcely believe she was the same person. She was wearing a white strapless wedding gown with silver studs sewn into a bust that gently flowed into a long skirt. It had a ring of silver rhinestones around her waist as well. Her hair was gathered up into an elegant bun that had a few strands hanging down. She'd sat for hours in a chair while Lanie made sure it was perfect, and it was. Everything was perfect. The only thing that was missing was her veil.  
Lanie lifted the veil off of the chair and centered the circle of flowers it was attached to on her head. Once it was centered, she put the veil down over Kate's face.  
"You look amazing, girl. Castle is gonna love you, I know it." Lanie assured her with a smile.  
"I hope so." Kate replied nervously, as her father entered. She lifted her dress up a little and turned to look at him.  
"Oh my God, Katie, you look gorgeous. Your mother would be so proud of you." he said, tearing up.  
Kate felt tears and quickly wiped them away as he hugged her. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."  
Jim pulled back after a long moment and studied her face. "You ready, Katie?"  
Kate nodded. "Yeah."  
"Go get 'em, girl." Lanie said with a smile and went downstairs and out of the Hampton's house and to the yard to get ready for the ceremony.  
Jim and Kate descended the stairs and went out the yard, close to the aisle but out of view of the audience.  
When the music started, a few of Kate's college friends walked with some of Castle's groomsmen and then Ryan, one of Castle's best men, came with Jenny and then Lanie, the Maid of Honor, with Esposito, the other best man. Then, it was Kate's turn. She saw Castle grin as she and her father approached the gazebo in the yard.  
Kate took a breath when they arrived, and Jim put back her veil and kissed her cheek.  
"I love you, Katie." Jim whispered, placing her hand in Castle's and going to sit next to Martha, who was tearing up, and Alexis, who was smiling.  
The priest looked to Castle first and said the vows.  
Castle stared into Kate's eyes and smiled. "I do." he said, with the utmost sincerity.  
When the priest looked to Kate, she smiled too. "I do."  
"You may now kiss the bride." the priest said, and Castle took Kate in his arms and gave her the best kiss he could possibly give. It was pure and passionate, like they were the only two people in the world.  
After a few minutes they stopped and looked at each other.  
"So, Castle, was that our best kiss?" she whispered, biting her lip and smiling.  
"I don't know, a wise person once told me that we're just getting started." Castle replied, and she kissed him again.


	2. Epilouge

**Epilogue**

_Four years later…_

Kate laid asleep in her and Castle's bed, sunlight streaming in the window. Castle crept into the room, holding a tray with coffee, eggs, bacon and toast. Two small children, a boy and a girl, followed at his heels.  
"Do we wake Mommy up now, Daddy?" the girl asked.  
"Yeah, but be gentle, sweetheart, she had a long night at work yesterday." Castle replied.  
At that, the boy and the girl both jumped on the bed, shrieking with laughter. Kate opened her eyes and smiled. "Morning, guys. Good morning, babe."  
She sat up and the twins moved as Castle put the tray on the bed.  
"Good morning, beautiful." he greeted her, smiling and kissing her.  
She kissed the twins heads and started eating.  
"Mornin', Mommy." Johanna and Alexander said in unison.  
"We thought we would surprise you, seeing as how you got in so late last night." Castle informed her with a smile.  
"Thank you, guys." Kate replied, smiling as she sipped her coffee.  
"You're welcome, Mommy." Alexander replied.  
"Always." Castle answered, smiling.  
She smiled at the headline of the newspaper on the tray that read: **Senator Charged with Lawyer's Murder, Case Finally Solved.  
**After Kate finished her breakfast, she smiled and Rick lay on the bed with them.  
He grabbed Alexander and tickled him, making him shriek with laughter.  
Kate did the same with Johanna and she laughed too. In that moment, Kate knew that she was finally happy and that there was nowhere else she'd rather than with her family, always.


End file.
